Avery Bradley an All-Star?

While it may seem a bit silly to start talking All-Stars after just a week of play, let’s be real: Is there ever really a bad time to talk about NBA All-Stars? I didn’t think so.

A strong case can be made for Avery Bradley being the Celtics’ best player after the first three games of the season.

His 21.7 points per game average is second on the team to Isaiah Thomas (24.7), but Bradley is also averaging a team-best 8.7 rebounds and is second in assists (4.7). While those numbers aren’t likely to stick for the bulk of the games between now and All-Star selections, Bradley has clearly come into this season looking to prove that he’s more than just a talented defender but also an on-the-rise two-way star.

Bigs rebounding numbers

Boston’s guards and perimeter players did a tremendous job of rebounding the ball against Charlotte, putting up notably better rebounding stats than their big man brethren. Listening to Brad Stevens talk about it after the game, that may have been by design specifically when talking about Al Horford, who had four rebounds in 31 minutes.

“At the end of the day, Al does a great job of being in perfect position and getting his body on people,” Stevens said. “There are a lot of good rebounders in the league that just go pursue the ball and don’t block out and they get numbers that way. Al does a great job of getting to the body. And then somebody else has to go get the ball. There’s an unselfishness to his rebounding that I appreciate.”

Brad Stevens losing his cool

Brad Stevens still has one of the more icy-cool demeanors among NBA head coaches, but even he can get hot enough at the officials to warrant a technical foul. That is what happened on Saturday night, and the tech cost Boston a point in what was a two-point game at the time. But his players seemed to step their games up at that moment, scoring seven straight following the technical call and pulled away for the victory.

Isaiah Thomas thinks we might see Stevens pick up another tech this season, like 50 games down the road. I disagree. Saturday night was the only the second time he has been hit with a technical in a regular season game (he had a third tech called against him but it was in a preseason game against the New York Knicks in 2015).

The fall of 2017 is a more likely time frame for when we’ll see another technical called against Stevens.

Bench needs help

The Celtics have made a point of keeping Avery Bradley or Isaiah Thomas on the floor seemingly all the time when the second unit is on the floor. The bench is a group that’s very much in a discovery phase now as to who they are, and how they can be most effective. Of course, that challenge becomes even greater when two keys to their overall collective success, Marcus Smart (ankle) and Kelly Olynyk (shoulder), remain out. Until those guys get back and find their way on to the floor, Bradley and/or Thomas will continue to play a decent chunk of their time on the court with the backups.

Center of attention

Amir Johnson has been the first starter subbed out in the first three games, and there’s a very good chance that this will be a trend that continues. Johnson has not played poorly in each of the first three games, but there’s no mistaking the level that he’s delivering at isn’t quite on the same level as his fellow starters.

That’s why we’ve seen Tyler Zeller sightings early in the game, and Jonas Jerebko seeing long, quality stints in the frontcourt. Even second-year big Jordan Mickey looks to be in line to get some of Johnson’s minutes. While it’s not an issue now, the Celtics’ situation at the center position is one worth monitoring in the coming weeks.